Brian Lenihan, the former Irish finance minister who was in office during the
country's bailout by the EU and IMF last year, has died at the age of 52
after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Mr Lenihan, who was tipped as future leader of the Fianna Fail party, was the public face of Ireland's financial crisis until his party's electoral defeat in February.

Michael Martin, Fianna Fail party leader, said: "Brian Lenihan faced events at a scale and a pace of magnitude that no other Irish minister has ever previously had to contend. When Ireland was in the eye of the storm, Brian Lenihan never faltered."

The former lawyer and university lecturer became finance minister as the economy began to unravel in 2008. He delivered four austerity budgets in his less than three years, bailed out the two biggest lenders, nationalised the third and took charge of the two biggest building societies.

He came from an famous political family. His father was a former deputy prime minister and one-time presidential candidate. His aunt and brother served in parliament until electoral defeat in February.

Mr Lenihan attended Belvedere college, James Joyce's alma mater, and then studied law at Trinity College Dublin and Cambridge University.